PlayStation.Blog » Skander Djerbihttp://blog.us.playstation.com
The official PlayStation Blog for news and video updates on PS3, PS4, PSN, PS Vita, PSPTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:09:41 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1Fuel Overdose Hits PSN Today, 2 Free DLC Packs Unveiledhttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/03/05/fuel-overdose-hits-psn-today-2-free-dlc-packs-unveiled/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/03/05/fuel-overdose-hits-psn-today-2-free-dlc-packs-unveiled/#commentsTue, 05 Mar 2013 14:00:38 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=101229Fuel Overdose launches today on PlayStation Store for $9.99. To mark the occasion, I wanted to show off the core gameplay by giving you 10 tips that will help you become a “tactical-action-racer” expert! Watch our two new trailers to see these tips in action, and to see something we haven’t announced so far: Two DLC packs that offer 10 additional vehicles -- both of which are free!]]>Indie combat racer Fuel Overdose launches today on PlayStation Store for $9.99. To mark the occasion, I wanted to show off the core gameplay by giving you 10 tips that will help you become a “tactical-action-racer” expert! Watch our two new trailers to see these tips in action, and to see something we haven’t announced so far: Two DLC packs that offer 10 additional vehicles — both of which are free!

5 Tips for Beginners

5. Challenge mode (00:46)
To get introduced to Fuel Overdose, check out the Challenge mode, which consists of 120 missions featuring special objectives from drifting to survival. Depending on the mission, some game features are disabled, enabling you to practice specific aspects of the game whether it’s driving, defense, or offense.

4. Handbrake and grappling hooks (00:54)
After an accident, these two abilities will help you quickly get back on the track.

3. Focus one or two weapons (01:01)
You can equip your vehicles with up to six weapons: machine gun, rocket launcher, mines, grappling hooks, detonators and Race Danger. But if you’re new to this genre, my advice is to start with only one or two weapons.

2. Chain combos to regain life (01:09)
Hitting enemies enables you to chain combos — and the higher your combo, the more life you’ll regain. So if your life gauge is low, chaining together attacks might be a wiser move than fending off enemies with your shield.

1. Shield (01:17)
Your shield decreases the damage you take, but it also stabilizes your vehicle when you’re being hit. Always keep your thumb next to the Square button!

5 Tips for Pros

5. Invest in mines (00:46)
If your strategy consists in leading the race, I suggest you to massively invest in mines as they will help you keep distance from your rivals.

4. Master grappling hooks (00:53)
Corner poles, attacks, counter-attacks, boosting…grappling hooks can be used in many different ways, so don’t hesitate to invest in this multifaceted weapon.

3. Feel the power of Race Danger (01:01)
The Race Danger is probably the most powerful weapon of the game as it gives you the possibility to change the scenario of the race at any moment…if you use it at the right place and at the right moment.

2. Machine gun + Handbrake (01:09)
Firing the machine gun while using the handbrake is a difficult maneuver that only the most experienced players can handle. But if you do so, you’ll be able to fire in 360°.

1. Glutton for punishment (01:16)
Getting hit fills your Berkserk gauge, so you might sometimes deliberately lower your guard to fill your gauge and get the opportunity to unlock a Super or an Ultra attack.

Lastly, it’s probably wise to hold off trying online multiplayer until you’ve spent some time in the offline modes. and If you wanna meet me online and learn a few tricks, here is my PSN Id: skandertk.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/03/05/fuel-overdose-hits-psn-today-2-free-dlc-packs-unveiled/feed/21http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/fuel.jpg3.69Executive Producer, I-Friqiya2110Fuel Overdose on PSN: Giving Combat Racing an Infusion of Strategyhttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/12/21/fuel-overdose-on-psn-giving-combat-racing-an-infusion-of-strategy/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/12/21/fuel-overdose-on-psn-giving-combat-racing-an-infusion-of-strategy/#commentsFri, 21 Dec 2012 14:00:20 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=93951Fuel Overdose on PSN (demo available now), and today I’m going to explain why and how we brought strategy to our combat racing experience.
When you think of combat racing games of the past 25 years, you realize that they more or less follow the same pattern: you collect an item and then you use it before collecting another one, and so on. These games ask you to focus on speed and targeting but they do not really challenge your mental skills. The only decisions you might have to take from time to time are “Should I use my missile now or later?” or “Should I take that risky shortcut?”]]>

Hi, I’m Skander Djerbi executive producer of the half-Japanese, half-gaijin indie production Fuel Overdose on PSN (demo available now), and today I’m going to explain why and how we brought strategy to our combat racing experience.

When you think of combat racing games of the past 25 years, you realize that they more or less follow the same pattern: you collect an item and then you use it before collecting another one, and so on. These games ask you to focus on speed and targeting but they do not really challenge your mental skills. The only decisions you might have to take from time to time are “Should I use my missile now or later?” or “Should I take that risky shortcut?”

One of the ambitions of Fuel Overdose is to propose a more complex game experience by giving each player the possibility to build his own race strategy and to reward his decision-making skills.

With Fuel Overdose, the choices made before and during the race have a real impact on your chances of success. The game leaves no room for luck and the depth of the game mechanics will constantly challenge your capacity to make the right decisions at the right moments.

The first decisions must be taken before the race: choose your racer after carefully checking his skills, your vehicle and your weaponry to establish a race strategy. Will you try to lead the race from the beginning to the end or stay in ambush and wait for the very last moment before outrunning your opponents? Will you go to battle or bet on your driving skills? Ask yourself these questions, among others, before going further.

But because things don’t always go as planned, you’ll also have to adapt your race strategy and try to turn each duel on the race track to your advantage. Identify your opportunities and weigh the pros and cons of each option before making a move.

Here’s an example: let’s say there is a vehicle ahead of you, right before the finish line. In most combat racing games you have very few options, and you’ll end up shooting him. Now you are in Fuel Overdose. Should you simply shoot him with your machine gun or launch a rocket? Or maybe unleash a super attack? If so, which one? But are you sure that attacking him is the right move? Don’t forget that hitting him will fill his Berserk gauge, and he might turn against you with a super attack. So maybe it’s wiser to grab him with your grappling hook and try to overtake him. But if you do so, you’d be an easy target for his mines. Another example: how do you intend to use your Berserk gauge? Will you play defense and use it to trigger your shield when you’re being attacked, or will you play offense and unleash as many special attacks as possible?

In the beginning of the game you’ll probably ignore all these questions and rely exclusively on your instincts to play Fuel Overdose like any other combat racer. But as the game becomes more and more challenging, you’ll realize that establishing strategies is the key to success (especially online). Whatever your plan is, keep in mind that each decision has consequences , that even the most obvious choices can be questioned , and that sometimes an opponent can be more useful alive than dead.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/12/21/fuel-overdose-on-psn-giving-combat-racing-an-infusion-of-strategy/feed/16http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/fuel.jpg3.83Executive Producer, I-Friqiya169Fuel Overdose Roars into Action on PSN Soonhttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/12/14/fuel-overdose-roars-into-action-on-psn-next-week/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/12/14/fuel-overdose-roars-into-action-on-psn-next-week/#commentsFri, 14 Dec 2012 15:00:18 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=93202PlayStation Blog, this is Skander Djerbi, executive producer of the half-Japanese, half-gaijin indie production Fuel Overdose for PlayStation 3 on PSN. (Update)The game will launch December 21st in Europe, and will be coming soon to North America.
Our previous post focused on the racing gameplay pillar. Today we will talk about the 'action' aspect of the game, introducing all the cool gameplay mechanics that you can use against your opponents to attack, defend and counter-attack. Have a look in the new trailer below.]]>

Hi PlayStation Blog, this is Skander Djerbi, executive producer of the half-Japanese, half-gaijin indie production Fuel Overdose for PlayStation 3 on PSN. (Update)The game will launch December 21st in Europe, and will be coming soon to North America.

Our previous post focused on the racing gameplay pillar. Today we will talk about the ‘action’ aspect of the game, introducing all the cool gameplay mechanics that you can use against your opponents to attack, defend and counter-attack. Have a look in the new trailer below.

Let’s start with the upgradable weapons.

A machine gun that can be fired at 360° when combined with the skidding and spinning features.

A rocket launcher that uses a homing system that skilled drivers can avoid by suddenly changing trajectory at the very last moment.

Mines – very useful when you find yourself leading the race and trying to keep distance from your rivals.

We’ve also added detonators. Several bombs are scattered at strategic locations around the circuit, with remote triggers that allow you to take out opponents that would otherwise remain out of reach.

Grappling hook as a weapon
As introduced in our previous post [link here], you can use a grappling hook to grab other vehicles, to get back on track, or to perform perfect turns. What’s new is that the grappling hook can also be used as a weapon. You can electrify (01:13) your opponent by grabbing him and holding the circle button. But be careful, your opponent can send you the electric shock back (01:16).

Berserk gauge and combo

The combo system: as in many fighting games, you can perform combos by chaining attacks. But what is unique to Fuel Overdose is that as soon as the combo ends, it is converted to a life bonus that fills your life gauge.

A Berserk gauge, located in the top right corner of the screen, is divided into three sections and fills whenever you’re being hit by an enemy. I’ll explain in the two following sections how it works.

Special attacks: Skill moves, Super and Ultra attacks
Each character has a set of four unique special attacks: one skill move, two super attacks and one ultra attack:

Skill moves: these techniques can be triggered anytime as they don’t consume the Berserk gauge.

Super attacks: they affect all the enemies in your immediate vicinity, but in order to trigger them you’ll need to consume one section of your Berserk gauge.

Ultra attacks: they affect all enemies on the race track – you’ll need to have your Berserk gauge completely full to trigger them.

Defense: shield
You can go on the defensive by activating your shield (01:43)… as long as your Berserk gauge is not empty. The shield consumes the Berserk gauge, which means that you’ll have to constantly make choices and decide whether to allocate your Berserk gauge on defense (shield) or on attack (super and ultra attacks).

Race Danger
The Race Danger is a mass climatic disaster that can be summoned anytime and anywhere on the race track. In order to use this special technique, you’ll have to participate in a silent auction before the race during which you bid for it out of your overall budget. Only the highest bidder will have the right to trigger it and the losers will leave with empty hands and pockets.

That’s all for today. I’ll see you in a forthcoming post during which I’ll discuss the third pillar of Fuel Overdose’s gameplay: tactics. Stay tuned!

In 2010, we started the development of Fuel Overdose with the ambition of offering a new kind of solo and multiplayer action racing experience, by bringing more variety to the combat gameplay as well as a tactical approach to the genre. That’s why we like to think of Fuel Overdose as a “Tactical-Action-Racing” game.

Our first decision was to go for a top-down/isometric perspective, as we wanted to have a camera system that gives you the innovative features that make Fuel Overdose feel unique. Today, with the first official trailer, we’re introducing the racing component of the game.

When we decided to go for a top-down/isometric camera system, we pulled our old consoles out of the closet to try to recapture the spirit of classic racing games. We immediately remembered that what we loved about them is that balance between the immediate fun they deliver and the depth of their gameplay. With Fuel Overdose, we want to deliver a game that walks the line between arcade and simulation. In order to show their edge, the best drivers will have to master many different vehicles, each with its own specific handling.

Because Fuel Overdose has always been about playing the game the way you want to play it, each vehicle has its own distinctive handling method. Turns can be taken by either adjusting your speed, or drifting arcade-style. Each player will find their own driving style, and they’ll be able to improve the performance and handling of their vehicle by investing in customization upgrades.

The game has some advanced driving techniques, too. By pressing R2 (accelerate) and L2 (brake) simultaneously, you’ll activate the handbrake and start skidding. You can then make your vehicle start spinning with the left stick while your trajectory remains unchanged. This technique is not only useful when trying to take sharp turns, but masters of it will be able to regain control of their vehicle even after being hit. This feature wouldn’t have been that cool if we hadn’t gone for a top-down/isometric camera system. Finally, as we want to let race purists show their skills, we created a series of challenges and game modes — both offline and online — such as the drift and time attack modes, where the use of weapons and other action techniques is disabled.

Here’s one of my favorite features of the game: Grappling hooks. There are something we’ve seen for years in video games, but — correct me if I’m wrong — I think it’s the first time we’ve seen them implemented in a racing game. Imagine that you just had an accident, and there’s another vehicle coming. You can grab onto it and quickly get back on the track. You can then even trigger a boost and overtake the vehicle you grabbed onto! You can also grab other vehicles to benefit from their speed, and even quickly overtake a group of opponents by performing multiple grabs and boosts.

Grappling hooks will also allow you to perform perfect turns at full speed by grabbing corner poles — but miss your timing or miscalculate your angle, and you’ll end up being hurled across the track and smashed spectacularly.

This is only the first component of the Fuel Overdose formula. Keep an eye out for our upcoming “Action” and “Tactical” announcements, and you’ll understand why Fuel Overdose is not only a driving experience, but a combat racer that doesn’t feel like any other game.